WEATHER ALERT

Local

Local

Laura-Lise Yaciuk stands in front of Waverly Park School in Brandon on Tuesday afternoon. She’s speaking out after a group of Grade 6 boys forced her 12-year-old son’s head into a toilet with feces in it during a school field trip earlier this month. (Tessa Adamski/The Brandon Sun)

Mother speaks out after son’s head pushed into toilet

By Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Yesterday at 10:06 PM CDT

The mother of a 12-year-old boy is speaking out against bullying after her son had his head forced into a charter bus toilet with feces in it during a school field trip.

The incident happened on June 3 when Grade 6 students from Waverly Park School were returning to Brandon after spending the day in Winnipeg for a Goldeyes baseball game and museum tour.

Laura-Lise Yaciuk, the child’s parent, said her son came home “distraught” and explained two boys had thrown someone’s hat in the toilet at the back of the bus and made him fish it out.

“I can’t stay silent,” she said.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Weather

WEATHER ALERT Jun. 24, 6 PM: 18°c Light rain with wind Jun. 25, 12 AM: 13°c Cloudy

Brandon MB

19°C, Light rain with wind

Full Forecast

Local

Montreal police work the scene of a shooting the day before, in Montreal on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Policing safer now than in previous decades despite recent officer deaths: expert

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Policing safer now than in previous decades despite recent officer deaths: expert

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 10:15 AM CDT

After three police officers in Canada were killed over the past two weeks, a criminology expert says the number of on-duty cop fatalities this year remains within historical levels, with data showing that policing is generally safer now than in previous decades.

Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, was shot dead on Monday after responding to a 911 call about a shooter at a hotel in the city's Côte-des-Neiges district. A civilian was also killed, as was the suspect. A second police officer was injured.

That came after two officers in Ontario were killed two days apart earlier in the month.

Ontario Provincial Police Const. Tarun Bali, 29, was killed in Hearst, Ont., on June 9 while attempting to stop a fleeing vehicle. Toronto police Const. Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was fatally shot on June 11 while officers were carrying out a search during a raid linked to investigations into multiple shootings, including one at the U.S. Consulate in March. In each case, a suspect has been charged with first-degree murder.

Read
Updated: 10:15 AM CDT

Local

RCMP logo shown in Edmonton, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Man arrested after fatal crash

1 minute read Preview

Man arrested after fatal crash

1 minute read Yesterday at 10:10 PM CDT

A 56-year-old man died, and another man was arrested after a single-vehicle collision in Keeseekoowenin First Nation on Saturday afternoon.

Yellowhead RCMP responded to the collision on Highway 354 at around 2:30 p.m., where officers saw an SUV on its side, RCMP said in a Tuesday morning news release.

Officers found three men at a nearby business after a passerby brought them there, Mounties said.

One of the men, from Keeseekoowenin, had been sitting in the front passenger seat and was ejected from the vehicle during the crash, police said. He was transported to a hospital in Minnedosa, where he died, Mounties said.

Read
Yesterday at 10:10 PM CDT

Local

Constable Marc Pinizzotto is shown in this undated handout photo provided by the Toronto Police Service. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-Toronto Police Service (Mandatory Credit)

Toronto officer killed during police raid was ‘loved by everyone,’ mourners told

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Toronto officer killed during police raid was ‘loved by everyone,’ mourners told

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 4:29 PM CDT

TORONTO - A Toronto police officer who was fatally shot during a police raid earlier this month was remembered on Wednesday as a man deeply committed to his profession, as family members, fellow officers and officials gathered at his funeral.

Hundreds of people paid tribute to Const. Marc Pinizzotto at the Toronto Congress Centre as pictures of him with family and friends flashed across screens throughout the venue. Photos of Pinizzotto with his wife and two kids, as well as his police colleagues, were also displayed before the crowd.

The funeral service followed a procession through the streets of Toronto where uniformed officers lined the route while saluting the constable. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow were among several officials in attendance at the funeral.

Pinizzotto was shot on June 11 while carrying out a search at an apartment building as part of an investigation into multiple shootings, including one at the U.S. Consulate in March. The veteran police officer, who was 43, died later in hospital.

Read
Updated: 4:29 PM CDT

Local

Graduate Eliza Taggart pumps her fist in celebration while receiving her diploma during the Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School 2026 graduation ceremony at Assiniboine Credit Union Place on Tuesday. (Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Principal praises perseverance

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Preview

Principal praises perseverance

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:07 PM CDT

The graduating class of 2026 at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School was celebrated for its resilience, kindness and determination during the graduation ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.

A total of 256 students made up the graduating class, although not all attended the ceremony in Assiniboine Credit Union Place at the Keystone Centre.

Acting principal Jennifer Emberly said “perseverance” was the word that immediately came to mind when reflecting on this year’s graduates.

“This is a great class full of character and kindness,” she told the Sun shortly after the ceremony. “Many of our students now experience a lot of struggles and challenges, and they all kept going, they all made it to the stage today.”

Read
Yesterday at 10:07 PM CDT

Local

Kyle Winters, the city’s director of engineering, listens to a question at a budget meeting in January. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun files)

City prepares for water-main repairs

By Alex Lambert 4 minute read Preview

City prepares for water-main repairs

By Alex Lambert 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:11 PM CDT

The City of Brandon is preparing to spend $3.5 million to replace 110-year-old water mains this summer.

City council approved the First Street replacements at last week’s regular meeting. The work will start as early as July 6, a city official said.

“The First Street water main project was identified as a pretty big risk within our asset management program. It’s an older, cast-iron water main” that has been in place since the 1910s, said Kyle Winters, the city’s director of engineering services.

There have been “a number of breaks” on the equipment in the last few years, and the project has been bumped up the city’s priority list, Winters said.

Read
Yesterday at 10:11 PM CDT

Local

The front doors of the Brandon courthouse on 11th Street. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Impaired driving nets $2,000 fine, 15-month ban

By Skye Anderson 3 minute read Preview

Impaired driving nets $2,000 fine, 15-month ban

By Skye Anderson 3 minute read Yesterday at 10:04 PM CDT

A man has been fined $2,000 and is prohibited from operating a vehicle for more than a year after driving with a blood-alcohol level of twice the legal limit in Keeseekoowenin First Nation.

Terris Mintuck, 24, pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court on Tuesday to driving with a blood-alcohol level over 0.08.

The Crown and defence both recommended a $2,000 fine and 15-month driving prohibition.

Crown attorney Easton Lacey outlined the circumstances of the offence.

Read
Yesterday at 10:04 PM CDT

Local

Greg Brown, the City of Brandon’s airport manager, speaks to council at its June 15 meeting. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)

Airport’s runway cleared for repair work

By Alex Lambert 2 minute read Preview

Airport’s runway cleared for repair work

By Alex Lambert 2 minute read Yesterday at 10:04 PM CDT

The Brandon Municipal Airport plans to conduct crack repairs on the runway later this year in order to keep the tarmac safe.

Crews will work overnight for about a week as a preventative measure against potholes and other damage.

“Some cracks have developed over the last two years, and with the cracking it allows moisture into the pavement, which then when you go through a frost or freeze cycle, it will make the cracks worse and could ultimately cause damage to the pavement,” airport manager Greg Brown said on Tuesday.

“It’s important that we get the cracks sealed up so that we can preserve the quality of the pavement for as long as we can.”

Read
Yesterday at 10:04 PM CDT

More Local

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Local

Police respond to a shooting in the Côte-des-Neiges district of Montreal on Monday, June 22, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Locals from Montreal neighbourhood struggling to process what happened after shooting

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Locals from Montreal neighbourhood struggling to process what happened after shooting

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:42 PM CDT

MONTREAL - Messages of sympathy and support poured into a multicultural Montreal neighbourhood on Tuesday, as locals reflected on a horrific shooting outside a hotel from one day earlier that left three people dead.

Stuart Nutik, who lives nearby and is a member of the Jewish community, said the neighbourhood was struggling to process what had happened.

The community is largely a residential neighbourhood that is home to a number of different cultural communities, mixed with some commercial businesses, restaurants, outdoor parks and recreational buildings.

But many locals appeared to be visibly shaken and emotional in the area near the shooting, as police maintained a perimeter around the crime scene.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 4:42 PM CDT

Local

Photos in an album show Emma and Colton Spraggs and their daughter Robyn with their son Jayce, at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Jayce ‘continues to make an impact’

By Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Preview

Jayce ‘continues to make an impact’

By Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Yesterday at 12:20 AM CDT

A Minnedosa family whose lives forever changed when their infant son died last year chose to honour his legacy by giving back to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the St. Boniface Hospital.

Emma and Colton Spraggs spent 40 days in the Winnipeg NICU with their son Jayce, who was born at 25 weeks and three days old, weighing one pound and eight ounces.

“When you think about it, he was essentially the size of a pound of butter, and we really weren’t sure if he would survive the birth or not,” Emma told the Sun. “It took the health-care team roughly six hours to stabilize him on the ventilator after being delivered.”

The family said their time in the NICU felt scary and uncertain.

Read
Yesterday at 12:20 AM CDT

Local

An $11-million contract for a construction manager has been awarded to Bockstael Construction, Justice Minister Cameron Friesen announced Friday afternoon. The company will be in charge of making sure the project to renovate and expand the Dauphin Court House proceeds on time and budget. (Winnipeg Free Press)

Loaded firearm lands woman in prison for 3 years

By Skye Anderson 5 minute read Preview

Loaded firearm lands woman in prison for 3 years

By Skye Anderson 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:53 AM CDT

A woman has been sentenced to three years in prison after she secretly brought a loaded firearm into a vehicle.

“Members of the public are entitled to expect that their neighbours are not carrying loaded weapons in residential settings. This case represents a troubling departure from that expectation,” Associate Chief Judge Geoffrey Bayly said while delivering his sentence in Dauphin provincial court earlier this month.

Phiona Acoby, 35, previously pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited loaded firearm without a licence.

Crown attorney Samuel Levkov had recommended a prison sentence of three years, while defence lawyer Jesse Blackman argued for a sentence of house arrest, which can only be imposed if the sentence is less than two years.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 10:53 AM CDT

LOAD MORE LOCAL ARTICLES